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Wow.
This ad ran in the February, 1963 issue of the UK's Tatler & Bystander magazine.
As if it wasn't enough to suggest that we 'chew responsibly', the decision makers at Wrigley's Gum apparently felt that it would be imprudent to even show an image of the product in its British ad campaign.
Though less evident in our modern era, there have long been varying degrees of etiquette and social stigma surrounding the practice of chewing gum.
According to the following passage quoted from a Wrigley's company history webpage, it was that same question of polite behavior that was at play here - -
"In 1962, dissatisfied with low sales in Britain, Wrigley launched an educational advertising campaign aimed at ending the social prejudice against gum chewing.
"In an effort to illustrate circumstances in which gum chewing was not socially unacceptable, the company ran a series of advertisements over the tagline, 'Certainly not!'
"The advertisements featured barristers, businessmen, and students in scenarios where gum chewing might offend others.
"The advertisements were taken so seriously by the British public that many wrote to the company demanding to know when and where they could chew gum.
"The campaign was altered to depict acceptable circumstances for using the product, and sales began to climb."
- - Yeah. Go figure.
So where do you stand on the hotly-debated chewing gum issue?
Filthy habit?
- - or the last frontier of personal freedom?
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